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BST Practice Test BC 2026 – Free BC Security Guard (BST) Questions

Original questions written from the official British Columbia handbook, with an explanation for every answer.

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  • 210 questions
  • 9 practice tests
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Practice test 1 · Question 1Score 0/0

A person asks a company for the personal information it holds about them. What does PIPA generally require?

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All BC Security Guard (BST) practice tests

9 sets of 25 questions. Each set is fixed, so you can repeat it until you score 100%.

Exam facts

Key facts: B.C. Basic Security Training (BST) Exam

Free practice tests for the B.C. Basic Security Training (BST) exam, written from the laws and public guidance a B.C. security guard works under: the Security Services Act and Security Services Regulation, the province's rules for licensed security workers, the Criminal Code arrest and force sections, the B.C. Trespass Act, B.C. privacy and human rights law, the Liquor Control and Licensing Act and WorkSafeBC's safety rules. Every question is original, explains why the right answer is right and names the section it comes from. No sign-up, and your progress stays on your device.

The BST assessment run by the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) is a closed-book, 75-question exam with 90 minutes to finish, and you need 70 percent to pass. You can write it at most twice before you must retake the 40-hour course. Our full mock exams copy that 75-question, 90-minute format, and the topic tests let you drill the areas guards find hardest, such as citizen's arrest, use of force and the Trespass Act.

What the test covers

Topics and question bank

Every question is tagged to one topic from the official handbook. Pick a topic to drill just that area.

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Sample BC Security Guard (BST) questions

Tap a question to see the answer. The full interactive test is at the top of the page.
  1. 1A person asks a company for the personal information it holds about them. What does PIPA generally require?
    • A. Provide it, and say how it was used, subject to exceptions
    • B. Refuse, since records belong to the company
    • C. Provide it only if the person asking is an employee of the organization
    • D. Provide it only through a court order

    Section 23 requires an organization, on request, to give an individual their personal information under its control and information about how it has been and is being used, subject to listed exceptions.

  2. 2Can an employer discipline a guard for a proper refusal of unsafe work?
    • A. No, though temporary alternative work at equal pay is allowed
    • B. Yes, if the officer later finds no hazard
    • C. Yes, if the refusal delays the client's work or costs the client money
    • D. Yes, by cutting pay for the hours refused

    Section 3.13 protects workers from prohibited action for following section 3.12. Assigning temporary alternative work at no loss of pay until the matter is resolved is not prohibited action.

  3. 3What standard of belief does s. 494 (1) (b) require about the fleeing person's offence?
    • A. A hunch based on the person's appearance
    • B. A written complaint signed by the victim
    • C. Belief on reasonable grounds that they committed a criminal offence
    • D. Proof beyond a reasonable doubt, the same standard a criminal court uses

    Section 494 (1) (b) requires the arrester to believe on reasonable grounds that the person committed a criminal offence and is escaping from and freshly pursued by people with authority to arrest.

  4. 4A suspect drives off. Which details should the guard note about the vehicle?
    • A. Licence plate, colour and type of vehicle
    • B. The price the suspect probably paid for it
    • C. The radio station that was playing inside
    • D. The guard's opinion of the suspect's driving

    B.C. witness guidance asks for the licence plate number, colour and type of vehicle involved, and any injuries. These facts let police trace the vehicle.

  5. 5When may a B.C. worker refuse to do a task under WorkSafeBC rules?
    • A. With reasonable cause to believe it creates an undue hazard
    • B. Whenever they find the task boring, unpleasant or outside their usual routine
    • C. Only after the task has caused an injury
    • D. Only if a co-worker agrees with them

    Section 3.12 says a person must not carry out work they have reasonable cause to believe would create an undue hazard to anyone's health and safety, and sets out the refusal procedure.

  6. 6A guard protects a client's computer servers from theft of data. Is data 'property' under the Security Services Act?
    • A. No, only land and buildings count as property
    • B. Only when the data belongs to a government body
    • C. Yes, property includes information and data
    • D. Only if the data is stored on paper records

    The Act defines property as real and personal property and expressly includes information and data. Protecting data is therefore protecting property under the Act.

  7. 7Which of these meets the training requirement for a full B.C. security guard licence?
    • A. A first aid and CPR certificate
    • B. A licence from Quebec's security bureau
    • C. A security worker licence from Alberta
    • D. Two years as a retail cashier

    The province accepts BST through JIBC or an approved school, the JIBC Gaming Security Officer course, certain police or corrections experience, or a security worker licence from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba or Ontario. Quebec is not on the list.

  8. 8Which use of force does the B.C. code of conduct prohibit?
    • A. Any force at all, even in self-defence
    • B. Force that is reported the same day
    • C. Force used by guards under age 25
    • D. Unnecessary force

    The code of conduct says a licensee must not use unnecessary force. Force that is necessary and reasonable, such as lawful self-defence, is not banned but must be recorded.

  9. 9A trespasser refuses to leave an empty lot but threatens no one. Which response best fits s. 35?
    • A. Strike the trespasser to make the point
    • B. Handcuff the trespasser without authorization
    • C. Release a security dog to chase them off
    • D. Give a clear direction to leave and call police

    Section 35 protects only acts that are reasonable in the circumstances. With no threat, a clear direction and a call to police is reasonable; striking, chasing with a dog or unauthorized handcuffs would not be.

  10. 10What is a Sam Browne belt, which B.C. guards may not wear?
    • A. A wide leather belt with a large metal buckle
    • B. A reflective safety vest worn over the guard's winter jacket
    • C. A duty belt that holds a flashlight and radio
    • D. A waist belt linked to an over-the-shoulder strap

    The province describes the banned item as an over-the-shoulder equipment belt linked to a waist belt, known as a Sam Browne belt. The regulation bans it for anyone doing security work.

About the test

About the B.C. Basic Security Training (BST) Exam

In British Columbia anyone who works as a security guard, including loss prevention staff and door security at a licensed bar, needs a security worker licence under the Security Services Act. Licences are issued by the Registrar of Security Services through the Security Programs Division of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. You must be at least 19 and ordinarily resident in Canada, consent to criminal record, police information and correctional service checks, and have enough English to talk with the public on the job.

For a full security guard licence you need Basic Security Training or an accepted equivalent. BST is delivered by JIBC on behalf of the province, either online at your own pace or in person, through JIBC or one of its Approved Security Training Schools. It is a 40-hour theory course (SCRT-1651) followed by a final assessment (SCRT-1656). JIBC lists four content areas: professionalism and ethics, legal studies, report writing and personal safety. People with recent police, corrections, sheriff or border services experience, the JIBC Gaming Security Officer course, or a security worker licence from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba or Ontario can qualify another way. A security guard under supervision licence needs no training, but it lasts 90 days at most and can be held only once.

The assessment is 75 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes, and the pass mark is 70 percent. It is closed book: no notes, dictionaries, web browsers or AI tools. In-person exams are at the JIBC New Westminster campus and you bring your own laptop; students who live outside the Lower Mainland can write an online proctored exam instead. You must pass within six months of finishing the theory course and may write the exam at most twice, paying the exam fee each time, before you have to take the theory course again. JIBC no longer issues BST certificates (since December 15, 2025); your JIBC transcript is the proof of completion and the province checks it with JIBC.

Because there is no public BST manual or question bank, this site is built from the public law and guidance that a B.C. guard is held to. Our ten topics cover the Security Services Act and licensing, the code of conduct, uniforms and banned equipment, arrest powers under section 494 of the Criminal Code, use of force and the province's use-of-force report, the B.C. Trespass Act, privacy, video surveillance and the Human Rights Code, door security under liquor law, notes, reports and testifying in court, WorkSafeBC working-alone and violence rules, and de-escalation, fights and fire emergencies.

This site is independent. It is not affiliated with the Government of British Columbia, the Security Programs Division, JIBC or any training school, and passing our practice tests does not give you a licence or count toward BST. We did not use the BST course material: every question is written from free official sources, so check the cited section whenever you are unsure, and treat your course as the final word on what the exam covers.

Study plan

How to prepare

  1. 1Complete the 40-hour BST theory course first. JIBC only lets you book the assessment after the course, and the in-person course requires attendance for all 40 hours.
  2. 2Learn the limits of a guard's authority. You have a private citizen's arrest powers under section 494 of the Criminal Code, you must hand an arrested person to police right away, and the B.C. Trespass Act gives arrest power only to police.
  3. 3Know the code of conduct in the Security Services Regulation almost word for word: honesty, equal treatment, no abusive language, no unnecessary force, confidentiality, no false statements and no misrepresenting your authority.
  4. 4Memorize the equipment and uniform rules: SECURITY on the chest and back, no badge, no Sam Browne belt, and no batons, pepper spray, tasers or handcuffs without the registrar's authorization.
  5. 5Practise use-of-force scenarios. Ask what force was necessary and reasonable under sections 25, 34 and 35, and remember that every use of force, even blocking a doorway, must be recorded on SPD Form 0513 or an equivalent report.
  6. 6Write practice reports. Note the exact time and place, describe people by hair, build, height and clothing, separate what you saw from what you were told, and never sign anything that is not completely accurate.
  7. 7Take one topic test per day, then reread the cited section for every miss. Before you book, take two full 75-question mock exams under the 90-minute limit.
  8. 8Because you have only two attempts, aim well above the 70 percent pass mark. Scoring 60 or more out of 75 on two different mock exams in a row is a comfortable margin above the 53 correct answers that 70 percent works out to.

FAQ

BC Security Guard (BST) test questions people ask

How many questions are on the BC BST exam?

The JIBC Basic Security Training assessment (SCRT-1656) is a 75-question exam with a 90-minute time limit. Our mock exams use the same 75-question, 90-minute format, drawn from all ten of our topics.

What is the passing score for Basic Security Training in BC?

JIBC requires a minimum of 70 percent on the assessment. On 75 questions that is at least 53 correct answers by our arithmetic. You get your score right after you finish.

How many times can I take the BST exam?

JIBC allows a maximum of two attempts, and each rewrite has its own exam fee. If you do not pass after two attempts, you must take the BST theory course (SCRT-1651) again. You must also pass within six months of finishing the theory course.

Is there a BST practice test PDF?

JIBC does not publish its exam questions. We offer a printable sheet of 75 original questions with an answer key, the same length as the real assessment. Each answer cites the law or official guidance it comes from.

How much does Basic Security Training cost?

JIBC lists the BST theory course at $343.77 plus a $3.26 learner services fee, and the BST assessment at $64.14. Approved Security Training Schools set their own course prices. The security worker licence fee is separate and paid to the province.

Can I write the BST exam online?

Online proctored exams are offered only to students who live outside the Lower Mainland (Squamish to Abbotsford). Others write in person at the JIBC New Westminster campus and must bring their own laptop and government photo ID.

Can I take BST before I turn 19?

Yes. JIBC says you can complete BST before 19, but you must be 19 to apply for a B.C. security worker licence, which you need before you can work as a guard.

Can a security guard in BC carry handcuffs or pepper spray?

Not without authorization. The Security Services Regulation bans restraining devices, Criminal Code prohibited weapons and anything designed to debilitate or control a person. The province gives tasers, pepper spray and batons as examples. Handcuffs need the registrar's authorization, usually after Advanced Security Training.

Can a BC security guard arrest someone for trespassing?

Not under the B.C. Trespass Act, which gives arrest power only to peace officers. A guard can give notice, direct the person to leave, demand their name and address and call police. A guard can arrest under section 494 of the Criminal Code when they find a person committing a criminal offence.

Are these the real BST exam questions?

No. JIBC does not publish its exam questions, and we did not use the BST course material. Every question here is original, written from the Security Services Act and Regulation, provincial guidance and the other public laws a guard works under, with the source named.

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